Steven E. Pylant, Sr. (born November 25, 1954), is the Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 20, which includes all or portions of Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, LaSalle, and Tensas parishes in the northeastern section of his state. He succeeded the Democrat-turned-Republican Representative Noble Ellington of Winnsborom the parish seat of Franklin Parish, who did not seek re-election in 2011.

Pylant won the House seat in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011. He carried the backing of Governor Bobby Jindal, who was elected to a second term.[1] With 9,119 votes (56.3 percent), Pylant defeated the Democratic candidate, Cleveland Webb "Cleve" Womack (born 1953) of Jonesville in Catahoula Parish, 9,119 votes (56.3 percent) to 7,066 ballots (43.7 percent). To cement his victory margin, Pylant received 71 percent of the vote in his own Franklin Parish.[2]Running as a Democrat in 2007, Ellington had also defeated Womack for the position. At that time the district did not include any precincts from LaSalle Parish.[3]

Pylant served as a Republican sheriff in Franklin Parish from 1996 to 2012. He was first elected to succeed the Democrat Eugene Parker in the sheriff's primary held in 1995, when he polled 5,784 votes (66.6 percent). He defeated three opponents.[4]

When Pylant became sheriff, Franklin Parish still owed $8 million for its detention center, which had been completed in 1992. As Pylant vacated the office, the sheriff's department expected to have $7 million in assets. "We were able to give $1.5 million back to the taxpayers in the form of a half-cent sales tax and a 9.4 mil property tax. We expanded the jail at no cost to the taxpayer and brought fiscal stability to the sheriff’s department to secure its future in Franklin Parish. {We took] a hard look at how the money is spent and how we were able to increase our revenue; there are some lessons there that I think could be taken to Baton Rouge and done on a larger scale," said Pylant in his announcement for state representative.[5]

The new sheriff is Pylant's chief deputy and fellow Republican Kevin Wayne Cobb (born 1970) of Winnsboro, who defeated the Democrat Emmitt Coleman, with a vote of 5,860 votes (80.8 percent) to 1,391 (19.2 percent).[6]

Pylant and his wife, Rhonda, reside in Franklin Parish near Delhi, a town in Richland Parish. They have a son, Steven Pylant, Jr.